Superflexible, 3-D printed “bones” trigger new growth
Material could help surgeons replace damaged or broken bones
Hyperelastic bone
ˈhī-per ə̇ˈlastik bōn n.
A highly flexible 3-D printed scaffold used to repair broken or damaged bones.
“Hyperelastic bones” don’t impart Stretch Armstrong abilities, but they could give surgeons a quick, inexpensive way to repair bone breaks. Created by Ramille Shah, a materials science engineer at Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues, the new superflexible material can be 3-D printed into femurs, skullcaps and other bone shapes.
The durable material is a mix of an elastic polymer plus hydroxyapatite, a calcium mineral found in human bones and teeth. Once implanted, the material’s mineral makeup encourages real bone to start growing within a month to replace the scaffold, the team reported in the Sept. 28 Science Translational Medicine.